SPEAKERS

Vicente Yañez Solloa

Vicente Yáñez Solloa graduated in Business Administration the Anahuac University, in 1978 . He did his basic studies at Instituto Cumbres.

He has work in the industrial area in Grupo Lux, a 100% Mexican company that for 80 years had been building stainless steel equipment and furniture. 

He has participated in national committees in the Canacintra (National Chamber of Transformation Industry) and during 1998 - 2000 he was the National President. Since 2003 until today he have been counselor and member of CCE (Executive Committee of the Corporate Coordinator Counsel).

Also during 1999 - 2006 he worked as vice president of Concamin (Chamber Confederation of industries of United Mexican States and in 1998 - 2006 he was the head of Camecite (Mexican Chamber of Commerce, industry and tourism from Europe.

Member of the Administrative Counsel of Nacional Financiera, National Bank of Foreign Trade, the Institute of the National Funds of Housing for workers, and of the Mexican Society of Normalization and Certification, among others.

From 2003 he works like Executive President of ANTAD (The National Association of Departmental Stores and Supermarkets).

Lic. Francisco Javier Mayorga Castañeda

Born in April 17, 1951 in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

He studied economy in the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico, with masters degree in Business Administration in the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, in Guadalajara campus.

Public Administration work:

• Secretary of Rural Development for the Government of Jalisco, during Alberto Cardenas Jimenez administration (1995 - 2000).
• Member of the transition group for president Vicente Fox Quesada (2000).
• Chief director for ASERCA (Support and Services for the livestock and agriculture market).
• Secretary of Rural Development for Agriculture and Livestock, Fishing and Feed (2005-06).
• In September 7, 2009, he became again Secretary of Rural Development for Agriculture and Livestock, Fishing and Feed.

Private Administration work:

• President of the Regional Chamber of the Transformation Industry in Jalisco.
• Coordinator of the Counsel of Industrial Chambers of Jalisco and CONCAMIN vice president.
• President of the Counsel of Directors of the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente ITESO.
• Founder president of the Agriculture and Livestock Counsel of Jalisco.

Dr. Terry L. Roberts

Dr. Terry L. Roberts was named first President of the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) as it began operations in January, 2007. Dr. Roberts had been the President of the Potash & Phosphate Institute (PPI). He previously served as President of the Foundation for Agronomic Research (FAR) and continues as a vice president of that organization. A native of Alberta, Canada, Dr. Roberts grew up in a family-owned retail fertilizer business. He received a B.S.A. degree in Crop Science (1981) and a Ph.D. in Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition (1985) from the University of Saskatchewan.

An effective communicator and internationally respected as a speaker and writer, Dr. Roberts has given more than 300 invited lectures, seminars, symposia, and other presentations around the world and has written more than 160 technical and non-technical papers. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy.

G. David Delaney

David Delaney was appointed President, PCS Sales in 2000, with responsibility for all PotashCorp sales, marketing, transportation and distribution activities. In 2006, he was also assigned responsibility for market research, as well as public and government relations.

He joined the company as Vice President, Industrial Sales, PCS Sales in 1997, following its acquisition of Arcadian Corporation, where he had been Vice President, Agricultural Sales for its eastern territory. He began his career in Allied Chemicals' fertilizer division, which later became Arcadian, where he worked in various supervisory roles.

In addition to his work with PotashCorp, Mr. Delaney serves on the boards of PhosChem, Canpotex Limited and the International Plant Nutrition Institute. A graduate of Southern Illinois University, he has completed Vanderbilt's Sales Management Program and the Executive Management Program at the University of Pittsburgh.

Kenneth Shwedel

Kenneth Shwedel, Head of Food and Agribusiness Research Mexico, and coordinates Argentina and Chile for Rabobank International, holds a Ph. D. from Michigan State University.

Mr. Shwedel is a member of the Board of Directors of Grupo Viz, Mexico’s largest cattle and beef company. 

He is a member of the Board of the Mexican National Agricultural Council, where he was Vice President. He was also on the Sinaloa State Development Council. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico and was chairman of the Chamber of Livestock and agriculture business Development Committee.  He was on the Board of Directors of the Mexican Rural Development Foundation and on the Board of the Foundation’s financial institution. Mr. Shwedel has participated in a number of working groups involved in developing agricultural policy at the request of the Mexican government and was responsible for establishing value chain policy

Before joining Rabobank International he was Regional Director of the American Soybean Association for Mexico, Central American and Caribbean Basin, managing the Association’s largest office outside the United States. Previously he was Vice President and Senior Economist with Banco Nacional de Mexico.  He was also editor of the Bank’s English-language economic publication.  Mr. Shwedel taught agricultural marketing, most recently at the ITESM (Monterrey Tech.).  Additionally he has consulted with companies in Mexico or wishing to enter the Mexican and Central American markets.

Before moving to Mexico, Mr. Shwedel worked in Bolivia with USAID, Previous to that, he was a consultant to the Costa Rican government’s agricultural marketing program.  He also worked with the Venezuelan extension agency.

Mr. Shwedel has written extensively on economics and market development, and in the area of agricultural administration.  He is co-author of Modernizacion del Sector Agropecuario Mexicano (Modernizing Mexico’s Agriculture Sector), a blueprint for structural change of Mexico’s agriculture.

Juan Carlos Cortes Garcia

Born in Mexico City in June 21,1965. He took his elementary school an Instituto Oriente of Puebla City. From 1984 to 1991 he studied Economy and also a Master Degree in Public Politics in the Institut o Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico.

During this period of time, his activities were around college representative, working as President of the Students Society of Economy at the ITAM university and also Founder and General Secretary of the National Society of Students of Economy.

As a professional he worked as economist in investigation projects, working as advisor of Producers Organizations and state governments. He also worked as public official at the Republic Presidency of Mexico between 1998 and 1991 and as undersecretary of the Secretary of Agriculture between 2001 to 2003.

During this time he worked with the Secretary of Public Credit and Bank of Mexico in restructuring the Rural Financial System that included institutions like Banrural, Rural Financial, FOCIR, FIRA, Rural Systems Checkout Counters and the Financial Societies of Limited Objectives for the Rural Sector.

Cortes Garcia is a Coffee Producer at the north of Puebla. in 1990 he created the Pro Agro (livestock and agriculture protection), financial institution of insurance for the livestock and agriculture sector and exclusive of private capital (today it works at Mexico and Central America and Brasil).

Today his activities in Mexico are as national counselor of the CCE (Empresarial Coordinator Council), president of CNA (National Council of livestock and agriculture), president of Committee of Livestock and Agriculture Insurance of AMIS (Mexican Asociation of Insurance institutes, and as general director and vice president of the Counsel of Administration of Livestock and Agriculture Protection, Compañia de Seguros, S.A.

Also he has been working as advisor of countries like Brasil, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Hounduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala for the development and to implement of many financial rural instruments.

He is a member of the Administrative Counsel of Hold in Trust for the Livestock and Agriculture, Funds for Capitalize and Investment of Rural Sector, Rural Financial, Bancomext and president of the FICA (Technical Committee to Hold in Trust of Capital Investments of Livestock and Agriculture Business Risks).

Cruz Lopez Aguilar

Born in May 3, 1947 in Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; son of members of a cooperative and registered at General Bravo Town, Nuevo Leon. Married and family father, today is a member of a cooperative in the agricultural core of "Lucio Blanco", Diaz Ordaz Town, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Agricultura of Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo, Estado de Mexico from 1966 to 1971, he gained the title of Agriculturist Engineer, with his thesis "Uses of Computer Technology for Irrigation Planning". Specialty in Irrigation and qualified in Agricultural Meteorology and Regional Hydraulic Development.

Member of the PRI, coordinator of Agricultural Sector of Partido Revolucionario Institucional. In the Confederacion Nacional Campesina, has worked as secretary of Stock and Market, coordinator of the Council of Attention and Tracking, General Secretary and today, President of the Comite Ejecutivo Nacional.

He had worked as Federal Representative of Tamaulipas at two times: in the LIX Legislature from 2003 to 2006, as president of Agricultural and Livestock Comittee and member Social Economy Comittee. In the LXI Legislature since september 1st of 2009, president of Agricultural and Livestock and part of the Budget and Public Account Comittee.

He has an experience of thirty five years in Agriculture and Livestock and at the service of the mexican peasants.

In the Universidad Autonoma Chapingo, he was Investigator and teacher in the Irrigation Department of the Escuela Nacional de Agricultura; chief of Agricultural Meteorology and Camp Works, and also as collegue advisor.

In the Public Administration, he has been Chief of Hydraulic Metrics and Statics in the Irrigation District Nº 26 "Bajo Rio San Juan", located at the north of Tamaulipas State; collaborated in the development of the Temporal Disctricts; manager of Operations of Trusteeship for Shared Irrigation; ejecutive vocal advisor of the National Hydraulic Plan Comittee, responsable of reviewing and supervision of the Hydraulic Regions plans of the country; technical director of National Funds Trusteeship for cooperative members encouragement.

In Fertimex he has sell regional manager, North Pacific Zone for the States of Sinaloa, Nayarit and BCS and North Zone for the States of Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Comarca Lagunera; market manager of National Producer of Seeds; manager of Research, Planning and Development of the National Comittee of Arid Zones; delegate of the Agrarian Attorney at Chihuahua State.

Dr. José de Jesús Brambila Paz

Doctor Brambila counts with a college degree of Economy at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and did the career of Agronomy Engineer with speciality of Agronomy Economy at the Escuela Nacional de Agronomia de Chapingo. Master in Agricultural Sciences for the Colegio de Postgraduados, while he develop his doctorate in Agronomy Economy in the Universidad de Cornell. He had taken many courses of specialization in institutes of Mexico and United States.

In the Investigation Area he has develop many works of production, locating and transformation of the commercial agriculture structure; agriculture and economy theory; and bank operation in financing housing sector, between others.

During 1980 to 2009, Dr. Brambila has published more than ten works about things like economy, agriculture, livestock and rural, and also macro tendencies of this important activities.

In the teaching area, he teach since 1994 at the Escuela Nacional de Economia of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, in the Escuela Nacional de Economia, in the Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo and in the Colegio de Postgraduados.

Between his professional activities, Dr. Brambila has been academic manager of the Agronomy Economy and coordinator of graduate course of the Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo. He has been advisor in the Secretaria de Programacion y Presupuesto, secretary of Planning and Budget and chief of Evaluation and Procedures of the Subgerencia de Programas del Banco de Mexico. Also he has been in charge of the Direccion de Programacion del Credito, Finanzas y Administracion of FIRA-Banco de Mexico.

Also he was the head of the same institution and since 2004 until today he is counselor del Consejo Nacional Agropecuario (CNA), advisor of the Subsecretaria de Desarrollo Rural and assessor of governmental programs like Procampo and Focir

Dr. Jose de Jesus Brambila has been lecturer, exhibitor and presenter in many forums related with different activities of the agriculture and livestock sector. Also has worked as referee and editor of many scientific articles.